Turkish PM: Israel should be punished ROSTOV-ON-DON/ANKARA – Russia and the European Union condemned on Tuesday Israel's use of deadly force in the storming of an aid flotilla and urged the opening of crossings into Gaza. In a joint declaration during a Russia-EU summit in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton demanded a “full and impartial inquiry”. “The death of people is irreparable and absolutely unjustified,” Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told a news conference with EU leaders. EU President Herman Van Rompuy called the deaths “inexplicable”. “We regret the loss of life, condemn the use of violence and demand an immediate, full and impartial investigation,” he said. The remarks were a show of solidarity between the European Union and Moscow, which has traditionally supported the Palestinians but has also cultivated closer ties with Israel in recent years. Meanwhile, Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called on Tuesday for Israel to be punished for storming a Turkish aid ship and said “nothing would ever be the same” in relations between the two allies. Turkey was infuriated by the killing of nine people, most of them Turks, during the Israeli assault on Monday to stop a convoy of six vessels delivering aid to the Gaza Strip. “Israel's behavior should definitely, definitely be punished,” a spirited Erdogan told a meeting of his parliamentary deputies broadcast on live television. “We will not turn our back on Palestine, Palestinians and Gaza,” he said. “No one should test Turkey's patience,” he added. “Turkey's hostility is as strong as its friendship is valuable.” He urged Israelis to question the actions of their government. “The time has come for the international community to say ‘enough',” he said. “The United Nations must not stop at its resolution condemning Israel, but stand behind its resolution.” The Turkish leader said he had spoken to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron. US in a fix The US administration walked a fine line, calling on Israeli leaders to let more aid into the beleaguered territory of Gaza but refusing to criticize Israel for the use of deadly force. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton supported a UN Security Council statement that condemned the “acts” that cost the lives of nine pro-Palestinian activists off the Gaza coast. But US officials refused to say whether they held Israel or the activists responsible for the bloodshed. The administration is in a bind, caught between pressing Israel to permit an easing of harsh conditions in the Gaza Strip while accepting the need to stop the smuggling of arms into Gaza that could be used to attack Israel.
